City of Apps 2

Appsterdam Update Anchors Weekend-Long Party

01 NOVEMBER 2011, APPSTERDAM

Summary

Appsterdam, the movement to make Amsterdam the world capital of App Making, launched this summer to much fanfare. Come see how things are going at the Appsterdam 2 Launch Party Weekend (Nov. 4-6)—with the city-wide nerd party Museumnacht as the backdrop.

City of Apps 2: Appsterdam Update Anchors Weekend-Long Party

You might be wondering how Appsterdam, the movement to establish the world capital of App Makers in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam, is going. Given the world-class, weekend-long, city-wide party planned to answer that question, signs point to "pretty good."

At the beginning of summer, the nascent Appsterdam movement held a weekend-long launch party in the city of Amsterdam that surrounded the keynote with bar hopping, coffee tasting, city touring, and a family picnic for approximately 250 attendees, about half of whom traveled from abroad.

As summer gives way to winter, so too does the first phase of Appsterdam, dubbed "Summer of Appsterdam," give way to the next phase, "Appsterdam Overwinter." If the Summer of Appsterdam Launch Party Weekend set the bar for tech company launches, the Appsterdam Overwinter Launch Party Weekend (Nov. 4-6) aims to raise that bar.

The weekend-long party will not only serve to report on the progress of the movement and its future direction, but with a carefully selected stable of speakers and venues, will feature a veritable who's who and where's where of the booming local tech scene.

As App Makers arrive in the city or close out their work week on Friday, they'll gather at Cafe Bax in Amsterdam's up-and-coming Old West neighborhood for Meeten en Drinken. This weekly gathering (usually 19:00 on Wednesdays) brings together engineers, designers, business people, marketeers, and others to talk about apps and the craft of making them.

"This time around the drinks are being paid for by Microsoft," Appsterdam COO and party chair Klaas Speller said. "So this is not only your chance to meet App Makers, it's your chance to have a drink on the Empire."

On Saturday Appsterdam's Founder and Mayor Mike Lee will once again take the stage with a stable of special guests to deliver a keynote. This time, expect a status report on the initiatives launched in the first keynote, and a peek at the future. This weekend's keynote will be at one of Amsterdam's cherished landmark tech venues, Pakhuis de Zwijger.

The 90-minute address will feature the world premier of the "space pirate" movie, a 10-minute short film produced by Appsterdam's film department. The director's cut was a cult hit at tech conferences this summer. Mayor Lee, who wrote and stars in the film, describes it as a fictionalized account of the founding of Appsterdam.

"We have to call it fictionalized because 'farcicalized' isn't a word," said Lee. "I cannot overstate how ridiculous this movie is."

The keynote and screening will be the featured events of the Appsterdam 2 Launch Party, with venue, drinks, and snacks sponsored by Sogeti and IceMobile.

"I can say without reservation that if you miss this weekend’s Appsterdam 2 Launch Party Weekend, you’re missing the nerd party of the year," Mayor Lee wrote on his blog on the movement, http://mur.mu.rs.

The original Appsterdam Launch Party Weekend rather famously featured guided tours of the city. This weekend's launch party was specifically planned on the first Saturday in November—Museumnacht—the only night when Amsterdam's famed museums stay open, turning the city into one of the biggest multi-venue, multi-genre nerd parties in the world.

"Our original plan was to have people pay for their own tickets," Jerrol Spier, Business Development & Partnerships Coordinator of Appsterdam, said. " Then SoftLayer swooped in and picked up the tab, so we've got 50 App Makers going to Museumnacht for free."

In addition to Museumnacht, there are any number of ways for App Makers to entertain themselves in Amsterdam, not the least of which is the Amsterdam Film Week, which has donated tickets for App Makers in the city this weekend.

If that all sounds like something fun for people of all ages, it should be. The Appsterdam 2 Launch Party Weekend, like the entire Appsterdam movement, aims to promote family-friendly Amsterdam as the best place in the world for technologists and their families.

As Chief Community Officer Judy Chen explains, "You might choose not to bring the kids to the bar on Friday, but you'll definitely want to bring them, and something to share, to the potluck brunch at Boven de Balie on Sunday, as App Makers and their families get together like we do every other weekend."

Just as the architecture of the Boven de Balie illustrates the past-meets-future ethos that makes Amsterdam unique, Appsterdam Family Weekends illustrate the key difference between Appsterdam and Silicon Valley. While the Valley and its many imitators focus on startups and venture capital, Appsterdam's founders take a holistic approach.

"There's no one key to the 'Hollywood of Apps,'" Mayor Lee explains. "It's an ecosystem, made of many interconnected parts. Appsterdam isn't another Valley, it's an alternative to the Valley and the materialistic lifestyle. Appsterdam is about friends and families, community and cooperation, technology and tolerance."

People interested in apps and the people who make them can learn more about the worldwide Appsterdam movement by visiting the Appsterdammers at http://appsterdam.rs or by visiting the following event-specific meetup sites:

Quotes

""I can say without reservation that if you miss this weekend’s Appsterdam 2 Launch Party Weekend, you’re missing the nerd party of the year.""
Mike Lee, Mayor of Appsterdam

""We have to call it fictionalized because 'farcicalized' isn't a word. I cannot overstate how ridiculous this movie is.""
Mike Lee, Mayor of Appsterdam

""This time around the drinks are being paid for by Microsoft. So this is not only your chance to meet App Makers, it's your chance to have a drink on the Empire.""
Klaas Speller, Chief Operating Officer of Appsterdam

""Our original plan was to have people pay for their own tickets. Then SoftLayer swooped in and picked up the tab, so we've got 50 App Makers going to Museumnacht for free." "
Jerrol Spier, Business Development & Partnerships Coordinator of Appsterdam

""You might choose not to bring the kids to the bar on Friday, but you'll definitely want to bring them, and something to share, to the potluck brunch at Boven de Balie on Sunday, as App Makers and their families get together like we do every other weekend.""
Judy Chen, Chief Community Officer of Appsterdam